DEFENSE BASE ACT - Key Persons
Sandra is an experienced and passionate paralegal. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in 2019. Sandra assists our Longshore and DBA attorneys in preparing cases for mediation and trial. Sandra is known for her considerable multitasking skills and for helping families in transition by providing passionate support to the attorneys and the firm's clients. Sandra assists injured private military contractors by providing regular contact and updates on their cases, managing the discovery process, and assisting in the drafting of pleadings, discovery responses and document production. She stays late to make sure that our attorneys are prepared for vocational evaluations, functional capacity evaluations, depositions, mediations and trials. Sandra enjoys spending time with her family, going to the gym and participating in competitive racing.
Sarah is our senior DBA paralegal. She has been working in the legal field for nearly 20 years. Sarah joined Van Riper & Nies in May 2010. Sarah has specialized experience in not only divorce and personal injury cases, but also in the litigation of claims under the Longshore & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and the United States Defense Base Act. Her duties include meeting with clients, drafting and preparation of legal documents, responses to discovery. Sarah uses her considerable litigation experience and superior customer service experience to fight for the rights of the firm's clients. She has been a licensed Notary Public since 2002 and is a mother of two. She enjoys spending time with her family, boating and traveling.
Tim graduated from law school in 2001, directly after serving as an Airborne Ranger with the U.S. Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment. After his service in the Army, and before representing injured private military contractors in DBA claims, Tim was a senior trial attorney for the largest insurance defense law firm in the United States. Tim's Special Forces experience, insight into the DBA insurance business and how insurance carriers litigate cases, combined with Tim's passion for producing results for his PMC clients sets Tim apart from other DBA Attorneys.